SESRIC participated in the “Arab Regional Conference on Follow-Up to the Implementation of the Outcomes of the Amman–Berlin Summit on Persons with Disabilities,” held on 21–22 July 2026 in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Conference was organised by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, through its Development and Social Policies Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development and the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the International Disability Alliance (IDA), and the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD). It was held under the patronage and in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Mired bin Ra’ad bin Zeid Al-Hussein, President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Conference aimed to reaffirm regional commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities by strengthening national policies, advancing coordinated Arab action, and facilitating the exchange of experiences and good practices. It also sought to support the implementation of obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the commitments arising from the Amman–Berlin Summit, and the Second Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities (2023–2032).

The event brought together ministers and other high-level government officials, representatives of regional and international organisations, organisations of persons with disabilities, academics, and experts from Arab countries and beyond. Participants reviewed the progress achieved since the 2025 Amman–Berlin Summit and discussed practical measures to advance disability inclusion across the region.

Mr. Muzamil EDEMA, Researcher at the Economic and Social Research Department, represented SESRIC and contributed to the panel session titled “The Importance of Monitoring the Implementation of the Amman–Berlin Commitments.”

In his intervention, Mr. EDEMA underscored the critical role of disability-disaggregated data in informing policymaking, measuring progress, and strengthening accountability. He drew attention to persistent data gaps that continue to constrain effective monitoring across the region and emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in strengthening disability data systems, developing comparable indicators, and aligning monitoring efforts with relevant regional and international frameworks.

Mr. EDEMA also highlighted SESRIC’s contributions through its mandates of statistics, research, and training, including the dissemination of disability-related indicators, the preparation of analytical studies, and the facilitation of capacity-building and knowledge-sharing activities among OIC countries.

The Conference provided a valuable platform for exchanging experiences, examining implementation, and monitoring mechanisms, strengthening regional and international cooperation, and identifying practical approaches to advancing the rights, empowerment, and full participation of persons with disabilities.

Discussions also emphasised the commitment of the Amman–Berlin Declaration to making all international development programmes inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities. Particular attention was given to the Declaration’s “15 per cent for the 15 per cent” target, which seeks to ensure that, by 2028, at least 15 per cent of international development programmes implemented at the country level pursue disability inclusion as an explicit objective.

The Conference concluded by emphasising the need to translate regional and international commitments into measurable progress through stronger data systems, comparable indicators, meaningful participation, and sustained cooperation among all relevant stakeholders.